Hassle

Funny story. A few weeks ago we found out that a girls 8 and under softball team was being formed to play in a league over in Platte Co. The team was going to be "hand picked" and coached by the same guy that was Tess's coach last year. Great Guy. Dedicated guy. Long story short, we were asked if Tess has been asked to play on this team by another mom(whose daughter had been asked) and we had to admit we didn't even know this team existed. In other words...no, we hadn't been asked.

Later that afternoon, Andy and I both agreed that we felt "left out" by not being asked. Tess is no superstar, but she is certainly good enough to play with this group of girls. Even though we were disappointed, we knew that with Kate also playing this year, it would be such a hassle to have to drive Tess to Platte county for practices and games. It's totally out of our way, and on nights when I'm a single parent it would require outside help from the grandparents or carpooling with a friend. So it was really a blessing in disguise that we weren't asked, right?

A week later, we find out that the coach thought Tess was in the 3rd grade and too old to play in this league. We got a call from the mother who originally told us about the team saying that Coach Rob was excited to hear that Tess was still 8 and that if we wanted to play just give him a call.

We gave him a call.

Remember all the hassle we wanted to avoid? Turns out some of the obstacles won't be there......the practices will be in Kearney, and games in Platte Co are once a week. What changed our mind, you ask? Several things.

We were asked. That is a great boost to the parent self esteem. Secondly, we came to the realization that the older Tess gets, the more we are going to appreciate a good coach and good team mates to help her progress in sports. It is a lot of work to seek out these opportunities, so when they fall in your lap, you gotta take notice.

Hardest to realize is that our little girl is growing up and is getting to the age where sports are a little more than just having fun.......yes, fun is imperative to the process.....but so is learning the skills and team building. It feels good to be good at something. And it feels even better if you are surrounded by friends. This goes for the parents watching their kids. The families that we sat with last year along the sidelines, are the same ones we will be hangin' with this year.

I don't know what sport niche Tess is going to eventually find is her comfort zone. She has parents that genetically passed along coordination and enough natural ability to be average at most sports. She loves being a part of a team, but hasn't found a sport that just blows her mind.......she loved basketball this year and really excelled for it being her first exposure to the sport. However, she had her dad as a coach, and their team was waaaaay better than their competition. She has played softball the longest and enjoys it.....her parents love it, but not so sure that she does. This year might be a real telling summer for us, and her. The older she gets, and the more the focus turns from fun to competition, the easier it will be for her (and us) to say "no, thanks" to the multitude of activites that are out there, and focus on what truly brings her JOY.

Now, don't even get me started on all the "arts" that Tess could want to participate in........